Phoenix-area named one of the best cities in nation to launch a startup company

Scottsdale, Arizona, was ranked among the likes of Silicon Valley and New York when it was named one of the best cities in the nation to launch a startup by a San Francisco-based research platform named DataFox.

The city ranked No. 8 in the nation due to strong company growth and a low cost of living combined with a high startup density.

In a statement, the company said the city fosters “deep connections between entrepreneurs, students and community members” and named Arizona State University’s innovation center SkySong as one example. The center was bought for $70 million last year.

In addition to SkySong, the company also recognized half of the winning companies of Arizona Commerce Authority’s Arizona Innovation Challenge are based in Scottsdale, such as Beacon Biomedical Inc., BeckonCall and ClearVoice.

Scottsdale was joined in the top ten cities in the nation by Cambridge, Massachusetts; Santa Monica, California; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Boulder, Colorado; Wilmington, Delaware; Pittsburgh; Atlanta, Georgia; St. Louis, Missouri; and Durham, North Carolina.